Handpainted Cabinet Knobs

These pretty handpainted cabinet knobs add some personality to your furniture projects!

Well, with a very mobile baby, we’ve been dragged back from normal life parenting an almost 6 year old who (mostly) listens when you tell him not to do things and pretty much knows how not to die, and back to the reality of a little one who grabs, touches and yanks everything. Doesn’t matter what it is, she wants it and she wants to put it in her mouth. Oh my gosh, I had forgotten what this hypervigilant stage is like! Why didn’t someone warn me?! In our dining room we used to have some open unsecured low shelving with magazine files for homework and some nice baskets to hold O’s play doh and Aa’s miscellaneous stuff. But that is definitely not going to work anymore. So we went out and got an Isala cabinet from my favorite store on Earth, Ikea. Or wait, is my favorite store Target? Ah! I can’t decide! Anyway, we already have an Isala sideboard (which I’ve just discovered they don’t make anymore!)and we figured the cabinet would at least match in style and be more flexible down the road if we move. I’m not the hugest fan of the white color though. It would be great in a modern house but a white cabinet in a victorian dining room with lots of original woodwork just doesn’t quite work for me. So I’m thinking I might paint it to match the color of the sideboard. Or paint them both a different color. I’m not sure. I do know Aa is totally skeptical of that plan and as we know from history, when he’s skeptical of a project, they usually turn out super awesome!

Anyway, in the meantime, until I decide, I figured I might as well do something with the knobs to give this cabinet a little personality. Because you know I can’t leave anything alone! I think they turned out great! And this is a fun and easy project because you can inject a pop of personality but if it doesn’t turn out well or you change your mind later, knobs are super easy to replace! Here’s how I did it:

Handpainted Cabinet Knobs

Wood cabinet knob (you may want to start with a blank one, like this…)

Acrylic craft paint, I used gold

Detail paintbrush

Clear Polyeurethane spray

1. Once I decided what I wanted to paint on my knobs, I sketched the design lightly in pencil. The existing finish on my knob was pretty matte so pre-sanding wasn’t required. If your finish is shiny and/or your’re planning to paint over the entire background, you might want to sand it a little first. 2. Start filling in your design with acrylic paint and your small detail paintbrush. It took three coats for me. 3. Erase any leftover pencil marks and give your knobs a coat of clear polyeurethane spray to protect them. Then when they’re dry, install them on your cabinet! I know, not the most complicated tutorial ever, but fancy knobs can be SO expensive so it’s nice to be able to add some personality to your furniture by yourself!

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Cassie May

Craft and Knitwear Designer at Little Red Window Design

Welcome to Little Red Window! I’m Cassie, a professional craft and knitwear designer working in the field for more than 10 years. I have a degree in Art History from Northwestern University and a Master's Degree in Architecture and Design from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. I've designed more than 300 separate knitting patterns, hundreds of craft projects, and I love to bring joy to your crafts and knitting with well-designed, easy to understand tutorials and patterns.

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